1982

[smkelly]

12/13/1982 The Funk Brothers vs. Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody

1982 Real World Tag League Finals

 

I have been searching for this match online for about two years, and every link I find, is down. I bit the bullet and bought the full Brody set from Bob.

 

WHAT WORKED:

* This match was violent, and I am a mark for violent pro wrestling matches.

* Seeing what I believe to be a very young Akira Taue.

* The big match feel, something I have always enjoyed from All Japan.

* Young and athletic Stan Hansen. Good lord was he fantastic in this match. The initial tie up was violent and Stan wasted no time laying in the hard shots. Plus, his running drop kick was a rewind moment.

* Brody worked stiff throughout, his first strike of the match looked about 95%. Unless I am mistaken, Brody opens Terry up hardway, which is awesome. Brody bites Terry as well, something that is unfortunately missing in today's wrestling.

* Hansen and Brody making quick tags in and out. Brody was in the match for about a minute before Terry targeted his knee, and Brody quickly tagged out. Just grade A tag wrestling, not allowing a technician to surgically take your wheels apart is tremendously smart. Later on in the bout, Hansen blocks Terry from making the hot tag shoulder blocking him off the apron, very good.

* Terry gushed, and showed some athleticism early on. I do think his selling throughout was a tad over done, but he did put the Western Lariat over huge.

* I dug how the Funks reacted when Brody would reach in the ring and interfere, with Terry blasting him with a head butt, which was spectacular.

* The brawling in the crowd. It was subtle, but very efficient, Dory returned bleeding while Terry and Stan tore it up on the outside.

* The pacing. One moment in particular stood out to me, after Brody piledrives Dory, who at that time is bleeding profusely, he lets the moment sink in before attempting a cover.

* Terry as a human pinata was hilarious, looks like he had a bad night with tequila.

* The post-match brawl and chaotic environment. This was better than the match, even though I thought the match was incredible. Hansen and Brody fending off young lions, stiffing the hell out of them was quite the scene of carnage. Just surreal to see in All Japan.

* Hansen pushing over the trophies was a nice touch of his heelishness.

 

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:

* The non-finish really bugged me. But it is All Japan in the 1980's.

* Brody seemed lost a couple of times, seemingly unable to keep up with his partner.

 

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

One of the best tag team matches I have seen from the 1980's, easy top ten material. The post match scene was out of this world, I wish the WWF could match something like this.

Hansen was legendary in this match, an all-time classic Stan Hansen performance.

The Funks took a man sized beating, dished out some stiffness of their own, and bleed heavily.

 

4 3/4* for the match

5* for the entire thing

[jdw]

* Seeing what I believe to be a very young Akira Taue.

Debuted in 1988 (as did Kobashi), so it's unlike it was him way back in 1982.

 

John

[smkelly]

That's what I assumed, but it does look like him. And, many of the young lions, before turning pro, hang around the ring, no?

[jdw]

I don't think anyone trained six years before debuting back then.

 

I'm not sure how much trainees are at ringside, or if they are, how much they are at ringside for the upper parts of the card that made TV. You typically see a combo of young boys (wrestlers who've debuted but don't have a ton of experiance) and wrestlers associated with whoever is in the match. It's possible that the trainees pull ringside duty for the prelims. Someone probably could watch one of the PPV's / full shows from the early 00's and see how many trainees are at ringside before their debut, and where on the cards one sees them.

 

Anyway, it's almost certainly not Taue.

 

John